The Palatka daily news. (Palatka, Fla.) 1884-1888, 1887-06-25
NUMBER 81.
Carrier Pigeons for War.

The Germans were among the first Ia
establish military pigeon lofts, and their
system Is now the most complete in Eu-
rope. The larger fortresses, like Metz.
Cologne and Strasbourg, each have from
four hundred to six hundred well trained
birds: and the annual vote OF credit for
pigeon purposes in the military budget is
eight Thousand five hundred dollars The
commandant Of the place is responsible for
the birds being properly cared for and
trained, and they are I'm charge of a nom
commissioned officer, who has under
him two private soldiers and "A keeper.
Registers are kept giving full particulars
concerning all the birds-the numbers
stamped on them their age, sex, color,
distinguishing marks, and the different
places from which each has flown, to-
gether with notes ON their rapidity and
reliability. Among the fortresses which
were early stocked with birds were those
near the Russian frontier-Posen,
Thorn and konigsberg: and others
were gradually attended Go, until at the
present time IL may he said that every
part Of the country is in communication,
either directly or indirectly, with the
capital 10y means Of pigeons. The north
ern coast is, i'm fact. studded with lofts,
they having been established at Tonning,
Dantzig, Stettin and kiel. On the west
ern frontier Cologne is in direct com
munication with Berlin, "A distance Of
three hundred miles. and is a transmit
ting station for Metz and Mayence.
Strasbourg and Metz also communicate
with the capital through Wurzburg.
In France the vote of credit for the
pigeon-lofts is twenty thousand dollars.
Ten stations have birds trained from
Paris, and important towns at great die
tances communicate with the capital by
intermediate stations. Thus Lyons
transmits To Paris by way Of Langres.
which likewise communicates with Mar
seilles and Perpignan. The military au-
thorities have power To requisition all
lofts of trained pigeons, and census Is
regularly made of their number.
The censuss taken last year showed
that i'm Paris alone there were twent-
five hundred birds available, of
which one thousand seven hundred
and eighty had been well trained,
and might he relied upon as likely to
home" Were Paris, therefore. ever
again i'm danger of being besieged, these,
together with the birds kept M the va
rious outside stations about Grenoble,
the Pyrenees, the Alps, and the import
ant towns in the north and south Of the
country, would form "A means of cont
muncating with the armies outside that
might play an important part In turning
the tide of the campaign.
hiisSia mas recently Nol'h "a SUM ol
twenty thousand dollars for the main
tenance of military pigeon lofts, IL be
ing thought that in Afghanistan and 9th
erdistant parts pige ons might under Ger
tain circumstances, be the best means Of
securing the maintenance Of communi-
cation. The Austrian authorities appre-
ciate the usefulness of these messengers
i'm mountain districts, and at the present
time they have under consideration the
q ieston of establishing pigeon-lofts, in
or,ler To secure rapid communication be-
tween the fortress of the frontier and
the mountain passes.